Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Sandton Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Sandton

😐 Solo nomad: Shanghai is 12.1% more expensive than Sandton without rent, and 8.7% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Shanghai is 3.3% cheaper than Sandton without rent, and 16% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.97 ¥33.95

$11.08 R 181

-55.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.17 ¥247

$45.66 R 744

-20.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.42 ¥37.04

$4.84 R 78.9

11.98%

Cappuccino

$3.56 ¥24.31

$2.09 R 34.10

70.33%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ¥3.64

$1.05 R 17.15

-49.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.28

$0.87 R 14.23

-62.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.35 ¥9.23

$2.18 R 35.55

-38.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ¥18.87

$2.48 R 40.42

11.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 ¥14.54

$1.20 R 19.56

77.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 ¥12.58

$1.03 R 16.79

78.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 ¥7.19

$1.63 R 26.50

-35.58%

Eggs

$1.68 ¥11.45

$2.56 R 41.76

-34.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.58 ¥106

$7.63 R 124

104.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.24 ¥22.13

$4.64 R 75.7

-30.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.83 ¥74.0

$6.75 R 110

60.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 ¥16.22

$1.63 R 26.50

45.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ¥11.57

$1.51 R 24.65

11.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 ¥12.27

$1.66 R 26.99

8.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 ¥10.09

$1.70 R 27.76

-12.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.85 ¥5.83

$1.33 R 21.61

-36.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ¥7.99

$1.44 R 23.53

-18.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.25

$1.14 R 18.58

-45.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.15

$0.93 R 15.21

-34.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.81 ¥19.17

$2.84 R 46.28

-1.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.89 ¥81.2

$5.91 R 96.3

101.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥5.38

$1.30 R 21.12

-39.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 ¥10.72

$1.67 R 27.16

-5.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.98

$1.60 R 26.12

-72.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.93 ¥239

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ¥15.33

$1.15 R 18.68

94.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.59

$0.89 R 14.51

-57.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.23 ¥56.2

$3.14 R 51.2

162.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 ¥7.87

$1.26 R 20.56

-8.73%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$19.9K ¥135.8K

$22.4K R 364.5K

-11.09%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$17.8K ¥121.8K

$24.0K R 391.3K

-25.73%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$52.2 ¥357

$119 R 1,936

-56.04%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$8.70 ¥59.4

$37.42 R 610

-76.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.58 ¥92.7

$42.94 R 700

-68.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.31 ¥316

$42.73 R 697

8.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.45 ¥140

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ¥56.5

$7.16 R 117

15.36%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,266 ¥8,649

$199 R 3,243

536.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.9K ¥218.2K

$4,899 R 79.9K

552.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ¥408

$51.2 R 834

16.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.23 ¥261

$32.91 R 537

16.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.2 ¥527

$89.5 R 1,458

-13.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.2 ¥657

$87.5 R 1,427

9.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$948 ¥6,478

$385 R 6,269

146.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$572 ¥3,908

$389 R 6,343

47.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,473 ¥16.9K

$662 R 10.8K

273.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,206 ¥8,239

$820 R 13.4K

47.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.1K ¥96.2K

$774 R 12.6K

1720.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,213 ¥49.3K

$704 R 11.5K

924.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,682 ¥11.5K

$2,026 R 33.0K

-16.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.58

11.51

-68.90%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Shanghai: April 12, 2026

Last update for Sandton: April 12, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Shanghai vs other spots: cost of living compared

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